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This Land is Your Land

Untangling the federal agencies managing the nation's open spaces

When it was established within the Department of the Interior in 1946, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) inherited the nation's leftover lands—175 million acres of the American West that hadn't been given to states, privatized, or deemed scenic enough to protect. The agency's mandate to sustain the health and productivity of its land has historically translated to an emphasis on grazing, mining, and drilling. The Clinton administration strengthened the BLM's conservation ethic, protecting more than 42 million of its acres. The Bush administration took the opposite tack, loosening environmental regulations and shifting the agency's resources to focus on oil and gas production. Today, the BLM manages 260 million of the nation's 630 million–plus public acres, and is one of the government's top revenue generators. Here's who's managing the other 370 million acres of your land:

Fish & Wildlife Service

Mandate: To conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats; chief administrator of the Endangered Species Act. Acres Managed: 93 million of the National Wildlife Refuge System. All land is protected from development.

National Park Service

Mandate: To "preserve unimpaired" the natural and cultural resources of its parks. Acres Managed: 83 million in 369 sites, from Yellowstone to the Statue of Liberty. All land is protected from development.

Forest Service

Mandate: To sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of its forests. Acres Managed: 193 million in 155 forests and 22 grasslands. Of those acres, 35.3 million are congressionally designated wilderness. In 2001, the Clinton administration protected an additional 58.5 million acres. The Bush administration repealed the move; the case in now being fought in federal court.